2008 Woodie Awards
mprovements needed before must win game
Matt Lombardo
Issue date: 9/24/07 Section: Sports
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The Golden Rams nearly did the unnthinkable Saturday at Shippensburg-lose a game they once led by 24 points. To say the club completely fell asleep in the second half would not do justice to the pain those in attendance suffered through in the final 30 minutes.
West Chester failed to establish any semblance of an offense in the second half, and all but stood on the sidelines defensively, as Shippensburg quarterback Gabe Maiocco led his team on three consecutive scoring drives to finish the third and open the fourth quarters.
Yet somehow, someway, West Chester survived and emerged victorious, winning 34-29 and improved their record to 3-1 in the process.
Getting a member of this team to admit to looking past Shippensburg to their arch nemesis Bloomsburg Huskies this coming Saturday would be like asking President George W. Bush to admit to mistakes being made in the Iraq war.
The reality is, that no matter how much they deny it, how often they tip toe around the issue, the Golden Rams have had this Saturday's homecoming date with Bloomsburg circled in red since that disappointing November afternoon when 2006 came to a crashing halt.
The Huskies have beaten the Golden Rams three times in the past two seasons, including the aforementioned heartbreaking 21-20 defeat in the second round of the NCAA playoffs the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The last time West Chester managed to notch a victory against its division rivals to the west was 2004.
What was so different three years ago when WCU routed the Huskies 35-24? For one, that Golden Ram squad accomplished something that this year's edition has hopes of attaining: a trip to the NCAA National Final Four.
And, oh yeah, that showdown against the Huskies happened to be played at Farrell Stadium.
This series has become more about who has home field advantage on a given Saturday, then about which team puts the most crooked numbers on the scoreboard. It's been eight years since a visitor escaped the lion's den of its opponent with a victory, and the Golden Rams did it in emphatic fashion, downing the Huskies 35-17 at Redman Stadium in 1999.
West Chester failed to establish any semblance of an offense in the second half, and all but stood on the sidelines defensively, as Shippensburg quarterback Gabe Maiocco led his team on three consecutive scoring drives to finish the third and open the fourth quarters.
Yet somehow, someway, West Chester survived and emerged victorious, winning 34-29 and improved their record to 3-1 in the process.
Getting a member of this team to admit to looking past Shippensburg to their arch nemesis Bloomsburg Huskies this coming Saturday would be like asking President George W. Bush to admit to mistakes being made in the Iraq war.
The reality is, that no matter how much they deny it, how often they tip toe around the issue, the Golden Rams have had this Saturday's homecoming date with Bloomsburg circled in red since that disappointing November afternoon when 2006 came to a crashing halt.
The Huskies have beaten the Golden Rams three times in the past two seasons, including the aforementioned heartbreaking 21-20 defeat in the second round of the NCAA playoffs the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The last time West Chester managed to notch a victory against its division rivals to the west was 2004.
What was so different three years ago when WCU routed the Huskies 35-24? For one, that Golden Ram squad accomplished something that this year's edition has hopes of attaining: a trip to the NCAA National Final Four.
And, oh yeah, that showdown against the Huskies happened to be played at Farrell Stadium.
This series has become more about who has home field advantage on a given Saturday, then about which team puts the most crooked numbers on the scoreboard. It's been eight years since a visitor escaped the lion's den of its opponent with a victory, and the Golden Rams did it in emphatic fashion, downing the Huskies 35-17 at Redman Stadium in 1999.
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